Facts About Azerbaijan

Facts about Azerbaijan

Credit: http://4photos.net/blog/azerbaijan-city-attractive-photos/Azerbaijan is a country on the border of Russia and Iran which puts it on the border of Asia and Europe. The country borders the Caspian Sea and separates in one part by Armenia. Azerbaijan became part of the USSR after the end of the First World War. Then when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 it regained its status as an independent republic.

Azerbaijan was initially a Christian country, which converted to Islam in the early eighth century, when it affiliated itself more with the Persians in Asia and not Europe.

Fast facts about Azerbaijan

The official name of Azerbaijan is the ‘Republic of Azerbaijan’

The currency of Azerbaijan is Manat

The name Azerbaijan means "Wind-pounded city" in Persian

Their country code is .az (without the .com or .org) and their phone country code is +994

Official language is Azerbaijani

It's population of 9.5 million and the capital city is Baku. Which has about 2 million people.

Neft Dashlari is a city built on stilts in the middle of the Caspian Sea, located just off the Azerbaijani coast. It is the world’s first and largest town built on stilts at sea originally constructed by the Soviet Union in the 1950’s.

Life in Azerbaijan

The weather in Azerbaijan changes depending on where you are in the country. It has mountains so you can go skiing, forests and desert, so it is hot and cold, however it is known for being a windy country.

Azerbaijan has been famous for its oil springs since ancient times. In places, the earth is so saturated with gas and oil that flames often erupt from the ground. In ancient times the flames from the ground became an important part of the culture and culminated in the building of a fire worshippers temple, and a cult which worships fire.

This gives rise to Azerbaijan's being known as the Land of Fires.

Azerbaijan’s claims to fame

Azerbaijan has won 4 gold medals at the olympics for wrestling, and one each for judo and shooting. This is a strong performance considering the fact that it's quite small and they have participated in the olympic games from 1996 (Atlanta). The Azerbaijan country code is AZE.

Azerbaijan had a claim to fame by winning the Eurovision song contest in 2011. Ell/Nikki’s song 'running scared' received 211 points, which meant they hosted the contest in 2012. The country has done very well in the competition since it entered in 2008, and takes it quite seriously.

Azerbaijan’s favourite sport is chess, and is home to many great chess players and grandmasters.

It also has a strong following in the game of backgammon, which has links in the Persian Empire. It is a social game and many people play in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is an amazing country with many curious facts.

Map of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s claims to fame

Azerbaijan has won 4 gold medals at the olympics for wrestling, and one each for judo and shooting. This is a strong performance considering the fact that it's quite small and they have participated in the olympic games from 1996 (Atlanta). The Azerbaijan country code is AZE.

Azerbaijan had a claim to fame by winning the Eurovision song contest in 2011. Ell/Nikki’s song 'running scared' received 211 points, which meant they hosted the contest in 2012. The country has done very well in the competition since it entered in 2008, and takes it quite seriously.

Azerbaijan’s favourite sport is chess, and is home to many great chess players and grandmasters.

It also has a strong following in the game of backgammon, which has links in the Persian Empire. It is a social game and many people play in Azerbaijan.